Low Shear Centrifugal Pump for Produced Water Application

A first target application for a low shear pump will be for produced water to de-oiling hydrocyclones on low pressure fields, a well known technology gap. The industry is searching for better pumps, and the benefits are obvious and easy to document. Typ honix has already done some initial studies and experiments on the low shear centrifugal pump, and the results are presented as graphs at the end of this document. Our conclusion so far is that shear and droplet break-up in a centrifugal pump depends on: * Impeller type * Stator shape * Number of stages * Speed * Capacity (Q and dP) It is not possible to take an existing centrifugal pump and make it a low shear pump by just operating it differently, as believed by many in the industry. Both the design a nd the operation must be changed for the purpose. Based on our initial studies, we have come up with some new and innovative ideas on how to construct a low shear centrifugal pump. The activities in the pre-project will be to: 1.) Based on the initial studies, design a test loop for reliable testing of a new design for a low shear pump. 2.) Purchase some equipment to simulate the new pump concept. 3.) Run tests of the new pump concept and compare the results with the performance of state of the art pu mp technology. 4.) If the results are promising, Typhonix will build a consortium in order to launch a main development and prototype test project (BIP) under the Petromaks programme. The ultimate objective of a main project will be to develop new low shear pump technology that can improve the separation efficiency of oil and water and reduce the energy required for transportation of multiphase petroleum fluids in pipes and risers. The pre-project will be organised with Typhonix as the responsible par tner and with Trygve Husveg, PhD, as project manager. We aim at involving a pump manufacturer and minimum two oil company end users.